truth-based – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

I CAN ONLY IMAGINE 2 – Review by Susan Kamyab

February 17, 2026February 22, 2026 Susan Kamyab andrew erwin, Bart Millard, Brent Mccorkle, Dennis Quaid, I Can Only Imagine 2, MercyMe, Milo Ventimiglia, truth-based

It has been 8 years since the release of I Can Only Imagine, the story of Bart Millard, a young musician who came from an abusive childhood and went on to become the lead singer of the hit band MercyMe. But is this sequel another musical hit? I Can Only Imagine 2 picks up long after the death of Bart’s father, with whom he had reconciled after years of trauma. His band MercyMe is hot off the heels of their breakout success from their record-breaking song and are currently living the dream.

Reviews

DEAD MAN’S WIRE – Review by Diane Carson

January 20, 2026January 25, 2026 Diane Carson al pacino, Austin Kolodney, Bill Skarsgard, Colman Domingo, Dacre Montgomery, Dead Man’s Wire, gus van sant, Myha’la, truth-based

Dead Man’s Wire stays firmly immersed in a bizarre, true story. Not surprisingly, especially these days, invented stories cannot match real life for bizarre, mind-boggling incidents. That holds true for director Gus Van Sant’s Dead Man’s Wire. Based on a true story that took place beginning February 8, 1977 in Indianapolis, Van Sant chooses to thrust audiences immediately into the startling events and to anchor all subsequent scenes in the ongoing nightmare for Meridian Mortgage Company executive Richard ‘Dick’ Hall. For it is Hall who becomes Tony Kiritsis’ hostage when his father M.L. Hall, the company’s unsympathetic CEO, is in Florida, unconcerned about a scheduled meeting with Kiritsis.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK November 7, 2025: BELÉN

November 2, 2025November 6, 2025 Jennifer Merin amazon studios, argentinian films, Belén, Camila Plaate, Dolores Fonzi, false conviction, motw, Movie of the Week, reproductive rights, Soledad Deza, truth-based

Based on a true story from the 2010s about a woman accused of illegal abortion and murder in Argentina, director Dolores Fonzi’s powerful drama Belén (adapted from Ana Correa’s book Somos Belén) couldn’t feel more timely if you ripped it straight out of today’s headlines. It’s simultaneously an impassioned plea for women’s bodily autonomy and a call to arms against the beliefs and institutions that make such a plea necessary in the first place.

Reviews

BELÉN – Review by Loren King

October 27, 2025November 1, 2025 Loren King argentinian films, Belén, Camila Plaate, Dolores Fonzi, false conviction, reproductive rights, Soledad Deza, truth-based

This powerhouse film couldn’t be more timely which makes it both urgent and enraging. Director and star Dolores Fonzi’s Belen immediately draws the viewer into the shocking case of a young woman (Camila Plaate)from the Argentina provinces who, before Argentina passed a law legalizing abortion, suffers a miscarriage while being treated for abdominal pain in a local hospital. A scene where police barge into the hospital room while she’s being medically treated and handcuff and arrest her as she cries out for her mother will be jarring for US viewers in the post-Dobbs era.

Festivals Interviews Reviews

The Making of RISE OF THE RAVEN (TIFF 2025) – Liz Braun reports

September 9, 2025September 14, 2025 Liz Braun CBC Gem, Franciska Törőcsik, Gellért L. Kádár, historical drama, Janos Hunyadi, Mór Bán, Rade Serbedzija, Rise of The Raven, Robert Lantos, TIFF 2025, truth-based, tv series, Vivien Rujder

No dragons, real people: that’s the main difference between a riveting new TV series called Rise of The Raven and Game of Thrones, to which Rise of The Raven is being compared. Both series involve court intrigue, heartless betrayal, ferocious battle scenes, plenty of sex and spectacular sets and costumes — but Rise of The Raven involves actual historical figures. That authenticity is an enormous advantage. AAnd, for all the swashbuckling, Rise of The Raven is feminist throughout; there’s not a single king, duke, knight, emperor, sultan or ruler of any stripe who is not motivated and controlled by the women in his life.

Reviews

THE SEALED SOIL – Review by Diane Carson

August 19, 2025August 19, 2025 Diane Carson iranian films, Iranian woman, Marva Nabili, The Sealed Soil, truth-based

Based on the true story of a young woman in a village in southwestern Iran, peasants were driven off their land in the service of progress. In this circumscribed world, Rooy-Bekheir is shown trapped within a courtyard in which chickens peck and circle, no escape possible. A walled gate increases the feeling of entrapment, for Rooy-Bekheir’s future is bleak in a culture of disenfranchised women. During the Shah’s reign, because of its critique of the pervasive, misogynistic paternalism that restricts women’s choices, director Marva Nabili’s work was considered illegal. As a result, after surreptitiously shooting on 16-millimeter film, Nabili had to smuggle the negative out of the country for developing and editing.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK August 8, 2025: HOLA FRIDA

August 1, 2025August 3, 2025 Jennifer Merin Andre Kadi, animation, Annie Girard, betsy bozdech, biopics, Cate Marquis, Cinema Citizen, Diego Rivera, Emma Rodriguez, Frida Kahlo, Hola Frida, jennifer merin, Karine Vezina, leslie combemale, Level 33 Entertainment, liz whittemore, loren king, Manuel Tadros, nell minow, Olivia Ruiz, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole, truth-based

Like the lovingly illustrated picture book it’s based on (Frida, C’est Moi), Karine Vézina and André Kadi’s charming Frida Kahlo biopic Hola Frida brings the famous artist’s early years to life in a colorful, creative, accessible way. It’s simple enough for even young children to understand, yet it has enough layers that it will still be appreciated by those who are already familiar with the story of Kahlo’s path to becoming an icon of both feminism and international art.

Reviews

HOLA FRIDA – Review by Jennifer Merin

July 28, 2025July 31, 2025 Jennifer Merin Andre Kadi, animation, biopics, Cinema Citizen, Frida Kahlo, Hola Frida, Karine Vezina, Level 33 Entertainment, truth-based

Hola Frida is a charming, beautifully animated biopic about artist Frida Kahlo’s childhood. Co-directors Karine Vezina and Andre Kadi focus on young Frida, the smart and curious girl whose indominable spirit gives her the strength to soar past her physical afflictions and imagine a world of wonders. The storytelling is deceptively simple in its understated delivery of wise advice. It leads to an understand of why Frida Kahlo became a painter.

Festivals Reviews

TOW (Tribeca 2025) – Review by Valerie Kalfrin

June 16, 2025June 18, 2025 Valerie Kalfrin 1991 Toyota Camry, Ariana DeBose, Corbin Bernsen, Demi Lovato, Dominic Sessa, octavia spencer, pro bono lawsuit, rose byrne, Simon Rex, Stephanie Laing, Tow, Tribeca 2025, truth-based

A 1991 Toyota Camry is easy to dismiss, much like its owner in Tow, a star-studded David and Goliath story about homelessness that unfortunately spins its wheels in spots. Based on a true story, the film sees Amanda (Rose Byrne, Physical) living out of the car in Seattle while she hunts for a job as a veterinary technician. During one of her job interviews, someone steals the Toyota, which winds up on a private towing lot.

Reviews

TATAMI – Review by April Neale

June 4, 2025June 4, 2025 April Neale Arienne Mandi, Guy Nattiv, iran women, Lir Katz, Tatami, truth-based, World Judo Championships, Zar Amir Ebrahimi

Tatami is a film that defies genres, but has a common thread of survival. It combines the thrill of a sports film with the feel of a political thriller. Women facing real danger by bucking oppression ministered by a country run by religious zealots who use God’s power from their respective holy books to kill you if you raise your hand in disagreement. This film should be shown to those who do not understand why the separation of Church and State is vital for humankind.

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